Toxic Overload: A Doctor's Plan for Combating the Illnesses Caused by Chemicals in Our Foods, Our Homes, and Our Medicine Cabinets (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "TAKE A LOOK AT YOUR CLOTHES..." (more)
Key Phrases: existing body burden, underlying immune system, immune system cancers, United States, Did You Know, Seven-Day Desludge Diet (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The miracles of chemistry once seemed like they might be society's salvation, but now, says doctor Baillie-Hamilton, toxic chemicals pollute every aspect of our lives-including our food, water, clothing, homes, workplaces and medicines. An environmental health specialist at Stirling University in Scotland, Baillie-Hamilton details how toxins may be linked to dozens of serious health problems, including immune system diseases, neurological disorders, digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, cardio-vascular diseases, cancer, hyper-sensitivity, obesity, musculoskeletal disorders and childhood health problems. (A chapter is devoted to each.) "These chemicals are simply not going to go away," Baillie-Hamilton writes, "so we need to adapt to this polluted world if we are to survive." She sounds many alarms, noting, for example, that the World Resources Institute reports "pesticides are a likely cause of immune suppression for millions of people throughout the world" and that 25% of the chemicals in the environment are neurotoxins linked to increased incidence of brain disease. Acknowledging that we cannot eliminate most toxins, the author recommends three steps-a detoxifying supplement program, a seven-day "Desludge Diet" to cleanse the system and a thorough detoxing of the home-and provides specific instructions for each. If only half of what Baillie-Hamilton claims is true, then it's time for more work, studies, answers and action.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Description

Don't let everyday chemicals destroy your health.
Environmental health specialist Dr. Paula Baillie-Hamilton explains how chemicals in pesticides, plastics, cosmetics, cleaning solvents, and many other common products build up to toxic levels in our bodies and break down our natural defenses against disease. Toxic Overload reveals the scientific evidence that links chemicals to a host of chronic illnesses and offers a three-step program to combat this toxic poisoning, including:

- a 7-Day De-Sludge Diet that shows you which foods will reduce your intake of dangerous toxins
- a body-cleansing supplement program to strengthen immunity and reverse the damaging effects of toxic chemicals
- home detoxification tips that reveal where dangerous toxins lurk in the home and how to implement chemical-free products into your life

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Avery (May 19, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1583332251
• ISBN-13: 978-1583332252
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #254,192 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The contents of this book will scare the heck out of you, April 26, 2006

By	Amalfi Coast Girl (Mid-Atlantic, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

This review is written from the perspective of a former hospital administrator that was lucky enough to be exposed to complementary medicine in one of my positions. This exposure has caused me to be interested in the concept of "green living". If you are at all interested in "green living" and reducing the toxins in the lives of your family this is a must read book.

This book is divided into two general sections, how to reduce your toxic overload, and the chemical connection to chronic illness.

In the first section (reducing the toxic load) the author outlines three steps, these are:
1. Supplementation
2. Seven-Day Desludge Diet
3. Chemical Free Home and Beauty Products.

Under Supplementation the doctor outlines specific vitamins, minerals and supplements (and her suggested levels) and tells you why you need these things. I appreciated that she also identifies the food sources for these same substances.

In the Seven Day Desludge Diet she outlines what to eat to assist your bodies own systems in purging toxins that are already present. This section recommends the usual suspects as far as consumables. What was unanticipated is the level of detail that the doctor goes into regarding preparing and storing foods.

The discussion of Chemical Free Home and Beauty Products is just down right scary. I know that I got up to read labels no fewer than 6 times while reading this chapter. Considering the fact that I am not new to "green living" I was surprised to find a couple of products in my house that I needed to toss out.

The remaining two thirds of the book is devoted to the Chemical Connection to Chronic Illness. This portion of the book was fascinating to me. If you are interested in improving your health you will get a lot of information from this section of the book. She covers the following areas in this section:
1. Immune system diseases
2. Neurological diseases
3. Digestive disorders
4. Hormonal imbalances
5. Cardiovascular diseases
6. Cancer
7. Multiple chemical sensitivity
8. Obesity & Musculoskeletal disorders
9. Childhood disorders

Overall, I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in improving his or her health. I will caution you that this is not a casual read, and probably not one for young teens in the respect that it might frighten them. The first time I tried to read it I could not get through it, it just seemed far too alarmist on my first read. Apparently I was not in the correct frame of mind. I picked it up again this morning and went through it in two hours (even with underlining). I did a little research while reading the book and was able to corroborate many of the facts that I found contained in the book. I think this is a well researched, and well written book that everyone should read.

27 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MUST HAVE BOOK!, July 15, 2005

By	Shirley Priscilla Johnson "Author/Reviewer -... (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

I want to say that this book was like a breath of fresh air to me. What is it about? The truth. Here is a book written by a doctor who tells the health hazards of the chemicals that surround us and are found in everything from the food we eat to the cloths we wear.
I found it shocking as Dr. Hamilton exposed the dangers of these chemicals to the point of causing cancer, diabetes and respiratory illnesses, just to name a few. I was not surprised as I myself have suffered from what I now know, from the information I found in this book, Multiple Chemical Sensitivity. This is a disease caused by overexposure to chemicals where your body reacts strongly to smells and other chemical agents. What a blessing to finally have a name and a reason to what was happening to my body, and to know it isn't just all in my mind as so many people thought it was. Thank you Dr. Hamilton.

The good doctor goes into detail about certain agents and what they do to our bodies, but she does not stop there. She also gives us some pointers on how we can counter-react these chemicals, what vitamins to take, which foods to eat that will flush chemicals out of our bodies and what to avoid, and how to detoxify our homes, and cleanse our bodies. The author covers every area you will need to help you move to better health and avoid contamination in the future. Excellent!
I'll tell you the truth, this book was too long in coming and in my opinion should be read by every person on the face of the earth. The information will astound you and make you more aware of the dangers in the world you live in. I strongly recommend this work, you won't be sorry.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Your toxic life, September 8, 2008

By	AJD (Long Beach, CA USA) - See all my reviews

We are surrounded by an unlimited amount of toxins and poisons that are affecting our lives each day. Learn some surprising facts about these toxins that you likely never have considered. Where they are, how they affect you, and how you can avoid them. Getting sick is not an inevitable part of life. You have the option to remove potential causes of illness from your life and this book is a great start.